


Tea with Irma

by ghosteye99



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: AU, Dating, F/M, Gen, Hogwarts Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-06
Updated: 2013-01-06
Packaged: 2017-11-23 21:31:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/626735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghosteye99/pseuds/ghosteye99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Severus has a first-time dinner date with a colleague.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tea with Irma

**Author's Note:**

> Written around '06-'07 for a challenge on the Livejournal community. I chose Challenge Eight: An Evening With Severus Snape, and Prompt: #3 – "Instead of silly flowers, he had brought"
> 
> Disclaimer: The characters & settings in this picture belong to J.K.Rowling. No money is being made out of this, neither is any Copyright infringement intended.

Severus had always kept his fascination for older women to himself, too embarrassed to risk it becoming generally known. He knew it was a weakness, an infantile yearning mixed up with a boyhood frustration over his inability to protect his mother… but when he thought of Irma Pince, he wondered if there was more to it than that.

Professor Dumbledore would understand, would uphold his privacy… but Dumbledore was dying, and the brat who was supposedly the saviour of the wizarding world was shaping up to become just another easy mark for the Dark Lord. Who then would remain to protect the vulnerable?

Irma was a hardworking, vigilant witch whose dedication inspired little appreciation from the ungrateful students of Hogwarts. This had earned a grudging admiration from him; along with an even more grudgingly felt sympathy. 

He could not remember exactly when that same admiration and sympathy developed into something more. Lately, he found himself thinking almost constantly of her; even worrying about how she would fare on her own, should Voldemort win. 

When the thought of courting her first came to mind, he’d been aghast with himself. However, the idea soon took on a life of it’s own, his common sense seduced by the siren-like appeal of it’s logic. 

She was alone, so was he; she would never survive should she earn the Dark Lord's enmity. He, Severus, could protect and guide her. She received little appreciation and respect for her work; he could tell her how much he understood her. There were so many things he had in common with her; their disagreements would be few should she accept his companionship. Embarrassing age differences aside, he and she would make such a decent couple...

When she invited him to tea in her quarters after dinner, he’d felt so elated that he feared embarrassing himself in front of students. He accepted with the most dignity he could muster. 

Severus arrived just late enough to be proper. Instead of silly flowers, he had brought from his personal collection a rare textbook on African talismanic herbs. Irma greeted him with warmth and courtesy when he knocked at her door.

The tea was a pleasant affair, and by the time it came to retire to his quarters, Severus’s hopes had risen considerably. When she lightly touched his arm before he left, he could not suppress a blush.

"Professor, there is something I need to tell you," She said.

"Please, Madam… you may call me Severus if you wish," he babbled awkwardly, trying to stay calm.

"Professor," she repeated, "I do not wish to disappoint you, but there is someone you must know about."

Severus felt as if his insides had just turned to dust.

"Who?" he asked.

"It is Argus," she said, "Now I must bid you a good evening Professor Snape, and do try not to fret excessively over this. There must surely be plenty of other witches around who would appreciate such a talented and diligent young man as yourself…"

**-End-**


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